That title could apply to so many things in my life that I'd be hard pressed to list or remember them all. Sometimes educational or humorous. Some amaze me and more than a few have embarrassed me.

Old Sam Harmon was called a local character that no one took real serious. You know the type that when he aint looking you use your right fore finger in a twirling motion to indicate he's crazy. Looking back I can now see that the old man should have been in jail for the way he carried on with young boys.

I guess old Sam's habit of catering to young boys was the reason we went there but always in groups. I don't intend to go into the man boy thing except for the way it applies to what I'm hoping to say here. So it's not going to be a forum as such.
 
Anyhow me and the rest arrive at the little store. It's busy what with the weekend plus Saturday is normally when credit customers pay up. Add to that the fact that Sam had a gas pump. We used to help him out by pumping gas and checking oil. You need to remember that back then a dollar bought a hell of a lot of gas as well as clean window's, oil check and tires aired up. Actually any amount of a gasoline purchase for your car got you all them extras. Do you reckon that all that work a pumping gas is the reason Charlie Millwood deserted Hazel and all them kids?

Artis was gone when we got back to the Cheatom place. We had seen his mule and wagon at his house on our way back from Sam's store and besides I had his half pint. He'd be back. The mule and wagon was another of his hobbies along with homing pigeons and half pints. I liked old Artis in spite of his vices. He was a lot like my grandpa Henry. Paw paw never owned but one old Ford car . He much preferred a mule and wagon, usually with some hay in the wagon so he could hide the moon shine he made and hauled to his customers. I think my knowledge of mules and wagon's impressed Artis. Another great thing about a mule was that he'd learn to find his own way back home. A"God sent"for a drunk that had past out. How many Fords' or Chevrolet's do you know of that can do the same?

I found me a seat and set down to put my shoes back on. Lowell and Tom had "picked up" some candy while me and Ed was pumping gas and was splitting it up among us. By now Artis was just coming on to the drive way. He stopped long enough to check the mail box and then told the mule to go on. The drive way was long and the sun was warm. Artis had the mule on auto pilot and he was seriously resting his eyes by the time the mule stopped in front of us. I said whoa to the mule and hey to Artis and we was once again "Good to go".

First order of business was the "Half pint". Artis said the best part of a half pint was the stuff in the bottom. Of course you had to drink the top half to get to the bottom half. Once the bottle was gone we got down to the grand tour so to speak. It turned out to be pretty dawg gone impressive.

Mr Corbet Cheatom arrived in Walker county right after the First World War. He was from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He came south to work as a locomotive repairman for the Frisco Rail Road Co. The company had a repair shop and siding was located in Prospect Alabama. Back in those days Prospect was a thriving small community complete with post office. Corbet rented a room from the Ivy family. It was within walking distance of his work place. He was very pleased with the pretty Alabama countryside and set out to find a place to buy in or near Prospect.

About three miles west of Prospect was a farm that belonged to a man named Arthur Rutledge. The place encompassed one hundred and twelve acres. For the most part it was virgin timber. Oak, Hickory and Pine. Rutledge was the president of the Galloway coal company. He was a widower and lived in Carbon Hill. The farm was rented out. Corbet was taken with the place and sought out the owner to see if it was for sell. Rutledge had no desire to sell but liked to "lead people on" by agreeing to sell but at a inflated price. When Cheatom inquired about the price Rutledge rattled off a price and Corbet said he'd take it.

Wasn't too long before  Cheatom was so busy around his own place that he resigned from his rail road job. He rebuilt a water powered grist mill that was on the property and was soon grinding corn for all the local farmers. Of course the water source which had been called Sandy Creek became know as Cheatom's Creek and then lost the "S" and was just plain old Cheatom Creek.

Using water power was a fine and proven power source except that it used water which came with its own set of problems. Well actually just one two piece set. Too much or too little. Dry spells and flood's. Something more up to date and reliable. Corbet knew steam like the back of his hand. He bought a stationary steam engine and started getting everything ready while he waited for it to arrive by rail to the Prospect station. Setting up the engine would require help. Corbet was able to hire one of the men that had worked with him on the Frisco job. The man's name was Cordus Leith he was aunt Fanny's older brother.

The engine was installed in its own building. The actual mechanical power was transmitted by an over head shaft and thick, wide leather belts. The steam engine had power enough to run the "Grist mill" and a small sawmill. The entire operation was housed in three separate but interconnected sheds built from lumber taken from Corbet land.

Like I said Cordus was Fanny's brother and it wasn't long before he brought Corbet home to meet three legible sisters. Fannie was oldest of the girls and about to get to old. Corbet was a practical sort. Fannie was attractive and had a good head for figures. They tied the knot and set off to chase success and wealth.

Cordus could have stayed on and had a job for life but he elected not to do that. After three years it was time to go and he did. Fannie had a good husband, a new baby girl and success in sight. She didn't need anyone extra hangin around.

Brother in law leaving upset Cheatom. Corbet had liked Cordus. They were much alike in how they worked and the pride they took in  that work. Fanny turned out to be a much better and hard nosed business person than her husband. She loved her daughter and spouse above all else. She admired Corbet and his mechanical skill. The desire to be a similar source of pride to him drove her.

The steam engine was a constant back drop for all the Cheatom success. The locals joked about the smoke and noise and flocked to the Cheatom place to buy limber and ground corn.


 The child grew as children always do in the journey to adulthood. I earlier misspoke her name. According to my mom her cousins name was Sarah and not Nancy as I had originally stated. Sarah had several health issues that she and her parents had to deal with. Today's method of testing would most likely showed that Sarah was allergic to the smoke and ashes from the steam engine.

The next ten years was fairly eventful. Sarah was going to a young ladies school in Jasper. Cordus was in prison for murder and Artis entered the life of the Cheatom family.

Sarah was a bright and good student and the focus of both her parents attention. The success and wealth was all for Sarah. It was apparent that Sarah would be an only child. The education of young women of no means was very scant. Neither Fanny or her husband intended for poor education to hold Sarah back. Hence the boarding school approach.

Cordus had a reputation of being a man that would hurt you regardless of what you thought. Why he never argued with Corbet no one could say. Maybe working with a man with Corbet's skill was reward enough for Cordus. His experience in steam and pipe-fitting made work pretty easy to find. Wound up working at the Brookside Coal Mine near Carbon Hill. Because of Cortuses hot temper and bad reputation the coal company had him and a few others that saw to it that union organizers didn't hang around. Kind of a second job thing. To make a long story short someone killed a union organizer. A witness claim that Cordus wielded the knife that killed the man. Problem for Cordus was that the jury which was supposed to turn him loose didn't. He spent the next twenty two years in jail thinking about what he had done.  Cordus is almost a separate story. More later??

Now about Mr. Artis Warren. Quite frankly Artis when sober was a gifted mechanic and machinist. Corbet hired him young and made him his own personal apprentice. I don't guess Corbet viewed the Warren boy as a possible son in law. Life being what it was and still is, Sarah and Artis took to one another. After a respectful two year court ship the Cheatoms gave their blessings for the young couple to marry. 

At this time in their lives Sarah and Artis were off to a really great start. Sarah was a certified school teacher and Artis, despite his drinking, had far surpassed both Fanny and Corbets expectations. 

Artis was  proud of what he and Mr, Corbet along with the rest of the family had achieved . One of Mr. Cheatom's last projects was to build Sarah and Artis a nice house. Fanny and Corbet Deeded twenty acres to the kids and built them a three bedroom house. The place was located in the area where the Cedrum and Prospect roads intersected.

The grist meal and the saw mill set idle. No need to run it from a money stand point. Like I said earlier. Corbet had left a fair amount of money. Fanny was still the business manager. The rest of the Cheatom and Warren families had enough sense to not try and fix something that weren't broke.

The steam engine and all the machines were just curiosities in the new electric world. I'm glad someone preserved them so I'd be able to see and touch in my life time.